Jun 1, 2014

Free rides from Egged continue temporarily

Despite the previous annoucnement from the Ministry of Transportation, the arrangement of "free" bus rides form the Kotel on Motzei Shabbos (though riders are meant to pay on Sunday) is temporarily continuing. The MoT has given permission for the arrangement to continue for the next couple of weeks - including last night, Motzei Shavuos, and this coming Motzei Shabbos, to give time for further negotiations, though it was also announced that this will only happen on the first 3 buses leaving the Kotel on these nights.

There is actually some conflicting information about this. The Ministry of Transportation has said that they have given egged orders to ignore the previous announcement, and the arrangement will continue. Egged claims to have received no such orders. While the MoT insists it has given egged such orders, Egged continues to say it has not received any such orders. In the meantime it looks like the arrangement will continue temporarily while the issues are worked out.

it looks to me like Egged is really behind this, and not the MoT as previously announced, they just don't want to look like the "bad guy"...


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2 comments:

  1. YehoshuaJune 01, 2014 10:42 PM

    I would reconsider the title of your post. They are not "free rides." All riders have been expected to pay for them at the first opportunity. In fact, it is because many have viewed them as "free rides" that Egged is discontinuing the service.

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  2. AnonymousJune 02, 2014 3:07 PM

    I don't live in Israel, so I didn't know the rules, but the one time I went to the Kotel on Shabbat, I was told that the first bus after Shabbat was free. I didn't know that one was required to pay later.
    Is it well known that it's not actually free? If others think like me, then the solution may simply be reminding people as they get on the bus that they must pay at the first opportunity.

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